View Full Version : I have learned so much about the AR platform since I have joined this site.
ghostman1960
05-04-11, 16:14
Back in the early 90s I had a couple of Colt Sporters and a Bushmaster or two and to me they were just AR15s. I did not know or care about the technical aspects of them. I just liked to shoot them. Then came the AWB and a divorce soon after so I had to sell off all of my guns and I was away from the AR platform for about 9 or 10 years. Then a couple of years ago I decided to get back into the AR game.
I started off with a complete S&W lower and a DS Arms upper with UTG rails and a Bushnell scope. I signed up for this site to show off my new ultra cool gun and people started to pick it apart. I just thought that there were a lot off elitist assholes on this board and did not realize I was just being offered constructive criticism.
So after a while I just stopped posting for a time and did a lot of reading here and learned a few things. Then I posted again and wound up having it out with Rob.S over his infamous chart over what I thought was a innocent question.
So I stopped posting for a while again and just read and learned some more. I started taking advice offered here and began buying parts here and there to build a rifle that I could use as a HD, SHTF, range use and a carbine class weapon when time and finances allowed.
When I first came here this was the rifle I had pinned together and that I thought was the coolest thing on the planet at the time:
http://i596.photobucket.com/albums/tt45/ghostman1960/020.jpg
Then after reading and learning I have built or assembled this. It meets all the specs on the left side of the chart. There is still room for improvement but it is a far cry from what I began with when I first came here.
http://i823.photobucket.com/albums/zz159/ghostman1961/DSCF2756.jpg
Thanks for the knowledge everyone!
And I even made a cameo!
I like hearing stories like this where guys finally start to "get it".
See if you can get over to Southern Exposure in Lakeland or Universal Shooting Academy in Frostproof for a class. I think youd really enjoy Randy Cain's Carbine 1 class. And learn a whole lot too.
Mr. Goodtimes
05-04-11, 17:13
I'm with you. This site taught me everything I know today. When I came here originally I thought that Busmaster was awesome and that Colt was overpriced garbage and KAC was way over priced garbage with proprietary parts. Some learning has occurred since then.
EDIT: BTW, nice rifle OP. I think the only thing I would even consider changing would be to replace the Troy DI rail with a 9in DD Lite Rail and only to save some weight. My troy 7in was pretty heavy. Maybe throw in a Giesselle too if got enough of the other important stuff. While I was able to make due very well with a stock AR trigger, and an awful one at that, the Gieselle is just worlds better.
Doc Safari
05-04-11, 17:21
This site has taught me a lot, too. I'm hardly a newbie, but I am old school. I used to draw nearly every tidbit of knowledge about the AR from military M16 manuals.
Do you know how hard it is to find a rice straw to clean out the little hole in the buffer tube? (J/K) :D
Then I come here, and people talk about such horrifying things as not worrying if the bolt ring gaps are lined up, not using CLP, and whatnot.
It's enough to give a guy nightmares. :D
Just kidding, though. Glad to get new information. :cool:
+1 here. I came here and found that the manufacturer I chose was sub-par. I put in some known good parts and am now shooting the shit out of it.
This place is full of knowledge, and not just on ARs.
ghostman1960
05-04-11, 17:34
I'm with you. This site taught me everything I know today. When I came here originally I thought that Busmaster was awesome and that Colt was overpriced garbage and KAC was way over priced garbage with proprietary parts. Some learning has occurred since then.
EDIT: BTW, nice rifle OP. I think the only thing I would even consider changing would be to replace the Troy DI rail with a 9in DD Lite Rail and only to save some weight. My troy 7in was pretty heavy. Maybe throw in a Giesselle too if got enough of the other important stuff. While I was able to make due very well with a stock AR trigger, and an awful one at that, the Gieselle is just worlds better.
Are the DD 9" Lite Rail two piece FFs? I have a pinned FH so would have to go that route if I change out the rails. I have seen some brands of two piece drop in free floats that would work but they are spendy. I'm still recovering from the shock of paying $600.00 for my mount and optic so any changes have to wait for awhile.
Mr. Goodtimes
05-04-11, 17:41
Are the DD 9" Lite Rail two piece FFs? I have a pinned FH so would have to go that route if I change out the rails. I have seen some brands of two piece drop in free floats that would work but they are spendy. I'm still recovering from the shock of paying $600.00 for my mount and optic so any changes have to wait for awhile.
Ohhhhh I didn't think about that. Na the lite rail is a once piece, regardless though it requires a proprietary barrel nut. Give the Centurion Arms rails a look when you get the cash. They are extremely nice and are a drop in system (two piece) that use the original barrel nut. Adding a FF rail would be pretty far down on my list of priorities though.
soapboxpreacherman
05-04-11, 17:55
This is my boat too. I started off lurking and scouring to find out I need to step up to a better platform and stop zig zagging my way there. I quickly learned what was good from bad quite fast. In the end I will save some cash and get a whole level more of enjoyment out of a rifle then before. However I have recently had a few that are discouraging here and I do know I tend to ask quite a few questions but isnt that the point of a forum? I wont let a few spoil it for other have certainly helped and I am now on the path to finding my soon to be favorite rifle.
kaltesherz
05-04-11, 18:01
...yet you still haven't learned how to close the ejection port cover...
...just kidding. Good job, looks like quite an improvement.
This thread's theme applies to me as well. I owned a Bushmaster a couple years ago and at the time I thought it was THE rifle to have. I had no clue what I didn't know. I found TOS a few years ago, but could not ever get into the 'culture' over there. I stumbled onto this site about a year ago when I started feeling the itch to get another AR, and I'm really glad I did. I'm also glad I had sold the Bushmaster and didn't own an AR at all when I came to this site. I feel like I started here with a clean slate and that's paid off very well. As much as I hate to have to admit it, I'm not someone who will be able to shoot 1000 rounds a month, but I still wanted a top-notch rifle that I could bet my life on should I ever find myself in a SHTF situation. Thanks to all the experts here for providing such a huge resource on this site.
spookydurant
05-04-11, 18:59
There seems to be a good amount of good knowledge from credible sources on this forum. That being said, there is also a ton of bullshitters on here that read a SWAT and take it as gospel, then get on here and spew their crap, thus confusing a guy trying to learn something. It'd be great if there was a type of bullshit filter on here so I could have a good read and not feel more stupid after 20 mins on the forum.
There seems to be a good amount of good knowledge from credible sources on this forum. That being said, there is also a ton of bullshitters on here that read a SWAT and take it as gospel, then get on here and spew their crap, thus confusing a guy trying to learn something. It'd be great if there was a type of bullshit filter on here so I could have a good read and not feel more stupid after 20 mins on the forum.
I think your assessment is wrong. However, there's an easy BS detector built into the site and it's called "find all posts by". Works great to take the pulse of someones posts and make up your own mind.
I agree, this site is a wealth of info, and thanks to the guidance here, got my first BCM upper and am now waiting on delivery of a KAC complete lower receiver assy.
spookydurant
05-04-11, 19:38
I wont argue with you boss, but I'm just going by what i see and read. Normally I dont even comment on posts on here, but with all the spouting lately of what gun was used to ........yada yada, It's hard to not call BS.
I think your assessment is wrong. However, there's an easy BS detector built into the site and it's called "find all posts by". Works great to take the pulse of someones posts and make up your own mind.
...great, now this site has another elitist asshole. :sarcastic:
j/k that build you have now is solid, I really like it. Everything you need, nothing extra and components you can bet your life on.
Before this site, I didn't know any better either. I just knew all the M-forgeries looked like my issue M4.:confused: Lots of reading resulted in me spending more than expected, but putting together solid rifles with good components. There's good value to be had in the $800-900 range which is what the local gun stores try and sell DPMS and Bushmasters for.:(
I did not know that much myself when I joined this site.
Kept my internet mouth shut and read up.
I ended up with a Daniel Defense M4 with an aimpoint on a larue tall mt, a qd VTAC sling, a streamlight, a BCM gunfighter charging handle, a LMT ambi-selector, larue index clips and a RISR on the CTR stock). Not a cheap set up but it handles well and is reliable thus far. I know enough to know I need more training and practice......
I am glad I got good information here from the start and I didnt make (many) regrettable purchases along the way. Thanks ya'll.
Takes a man to admit you made a mistake, OP. Good post.
I am another thankful user of this site.
It made me uneasy spending so much money on my first AR in 2005 when it ended up being something that I didn't even want to own later on. After reading loads of stickies and threads on this site I purchased a rifle that will stay with me forever.
Whats even more valuable to me are the people here will actually take their time and answer nub/strange/weird questions. To have a data/knowledge base where you can find almost everything is definitely awesome. But to have a group of people that will share their experience and answer those "only I happen to have, no one else will" category questions is just priceless.
Just hope I haven't bugged any of you to the point that you want to bang your head against the wall when you see a PM with my screen name on it. If you are nice enough to say "no I havn't," you will :)
Also was this linked from here? I have it saved in favorite but forgot where I found it. I seriously found 99% of me in it b4 I came here. No matter how many times I watch it, it still make me laugh, HARD.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evr_tP9cJWY&feature=related
SpaceWrangler
05-05-11, 00:03
That is a great video. I emailed the link around to lots of folks when I stumbled across it. Be sure to czech out Part II in the sidebar on the right.
I've been into AR's since my Active-Duty time in the Marines '85-'91. I've always been a Colt guy because of that. Imagine my pleasure at discovering the rifle I already had was on the left-side of The Chart. **** yeah.
This site has been a great learning experience. Before coming here, I had spent quite a bit of time reading the entire 'AR15 Discussion' forum on TOS. I found the bad advice and bad fixes there to be appalling... guys using pieces of soda can to shim and index a barrel, and dozens of others congratulating him for the good fix, and for thinking outside the box.
A pal told me about M4C, and the AR Discussions and Technical Forum here are like a breath of fresh air compared to the amateurish goings-on on TOS. I have since removed AR15.com from my bookmarks. I won't be going back.
This site has definitely helped me in too many ways to mention. I've always appreciated the more serious and mature tone here.
I was 100% set on a del-ton before I found this site, I read a TON, now I have seen the light!
richdkim77
05-05-11, 02:36
Ghostman, what did you do with all the parts/optic you discarded? Sold them off or building a .22 out of it? That's what I ended up doing with my Bushy.
ghostman1960
05-05-11, 06:16
Ghostman, what did you do with all the parts/optic you discarded? Sold them off or building a .22 out of it? That's what I ended up doing with my Bushy.
I sold everything off. The only things I still have from that rifle are the Mbus, MIAD grip and Pmag. I should have kept the S&W lower but I couldn't make myself like the giant M&P marking on the magwell. I assembled the lower on the second rifle with a RRA lower and DD LPK.
QuietShootr
05-05-11, 07:55
Back in the early 90s I had a couple of Colt Sporters and a Bushmaster or two and to me they were just AR15s. I did not know or care about the technical aspects of them. I just liked to shoot them. Then came the AWB and a divorce soon after so I had to sell off all of my guns and I was away from the AR platform for about 9 or 10 years. Then a couple of years ago I decided to get back into the AR game.
I started off with a complete S&W lower and a DS Arms upper with UTG rails and a Bushnell scope. I signed up for this site to show off my new ultra cool gun and people started to pick it apart. I just thought that there were a lot off elitist assholes on this board and did not realize I was just being offered constructive criticism.
So after a while I just stopped posting for a time and did a lot of reading here and learned a few things. Then I posted again and wound up having it out with Rob.S over his infamous chart over what I thought was a innocent question.
So I stopped posting for a while again and just read and learned some more. I started taking advice offered here and began buying parts here and there to build a rifle that I could use as a HD, SHTF, range use and a carbine class weapon when time and finances allowed.
When I first came here this was the rifle I had pinned together and that I thought was the coolest thing on the planet at the time:
http://i596.photobucket.com/albums/tt45/ghostman1960/020.jpg
Then after reading and learning I have built or assembled this. It meets all the specs on the left side of the chart. There is still room for improvement but it is a far cry from what I began with when I first came here.
http://i823.photobucket.com/albums/zz159/ghostman1961/DSCF2756.jpg
Thanks for the knowledge everyone!
http://i564.photobucket.com/albums/ss87/GhostGrendel/OrsenWellesClapping.gif
Cylinder Head
05-05-11, 08:10
I too have learned much from this forum. Everyone here has been a great resource and I really enjoy that tough love is handed out regularly. Luckily I did not post up pictures of my first rifle (pre-M4C) that was a SOCOM-16 in a Troy stock. I probably would have been strung up.
There seems to be a good amount of good knowledge from credible sources on this forum. That being said, there is also a ton of bullshitters on here that read a SWAT and take it as gospel, then get on here and spew their crap, thus confusing a guy trying to learn something. It'd be great if there was a type of bullshit filter on here so I could have a good read and not feel more stupid after 20 mins on the forum.
Really? It seems to me that the EVERYONE has figured out that ALL gun mags pretty much suck for info.
It is true that some members know less than other members and are free to express their opinions just like everyone else.
Do you have any examples of ENTIRE threads that made you dumber???
C4
What I like is the OP had a sub-par firearm. Read the forum, got into an argument with someone that knew more than he did, got upset and then decided to learn what he did not know by reading the forum.
This is how an ADULT handles a situation where they were wrong and then learned from their mistakes and now tries to help people that were in his shoes.
Many people come on here so they can tell us how great their AR is, get butthurt when told differently and then storm off like a five year old telling everyone to "F" themselves. This is of course not adult behavior. :rolleyes:
If you are a person that got upset because you bought junk and then tried to tell everyone that it is a "good enough" gun, please read and re-read the OP's post until it sinks in.
C4
I had a similar string of changes due to what I read on here.
1) Bought a Stag Arms model 2
2) Found M4carbine.net & chart. Read thread about upgrades to help lower tier rifles.
3) Bought BCM BCG and "H" buffer. Kept stock parts as spares.
4) Shot the heck out of the rifle for about a year
5) When budget permitted, upgraded to a BCM SS410 16" Mid Length Upper w/ DD quad rail.
6) Sold lightly used stock BCG and used upper. Used funds generated to subsidize purchase of an Accupoint TR24 to go with the new upper.
7) :D
To be honest, I still feel like I don't know much, at least amongst this crowd. In my other circles, I am known as the "AR guy", and I get all the questions, but I personally don't consider myself a SME. My route was a bit different than the OP. I started out with good gear, and got even better gear, based mainly on my trust in those who do know their shit. I always tell people this is a good site to read a LOT and post a little
PrivateCitizen
05-05-11, 10:22
What I like is the OP had a sub-par firearm. Read the forum, got into an argument with someone that knew more than he did, got upset and then decided to learn what he did not know by reading the forum.
This is how an ADULT handles a situation where they were wrong and then learned from their mistakes and now tries to help people that were in his shoes.
Many people come on here so they can tell us how great their AR is, get butthurt when told differently and then storm off like a five year old telling everyone to "F" themselves. This is of course not adult behavior. :rolleyes:
If you are a person that got upset because you bought junk and then tried to tell everyone that it is a "good enough" gun, please read and re-read the OP's post until it sinks in.
C4
Right.
Additionally, this is probably the lone forum I've ever encountered in which experts and vendors also actively learn or lend themselves to new ideas.
If you construct solid material and demonstrate reflected thought others listen, engage and further the discussion.
It's very refreshing.
To be honest, I still feel like I don't know much, at least amongst this crowd. In my other circles, I am known as the "AR guy", and I get all the questions, but I personally don't consider myself a SME. My route was a bit different than the OP. I started out with good gear, and got even better gear, based mainly on my trust in those who do know their shit. I always tell people this is a good site to read a LOT and post a little
Ya know, your not alone. I do this for a living and sometimes read posts on here that blow me away. We all have our levels and it is important to know that there is ALWAYS someone above us.
One of my favorite activities is to see and shoot with Ken Hackathorn. While this EXTREMELY enjoyable, I often come away with the fact that I suck as a shooter and my weapons knowledge is inferior (in all ways) to his. This is good for my pride issues. ;)
C4
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